Moving target
by grilledjellyfish
Summary: Finally the crew of the Going Merry reach the ship that holds Nami prisoner. Will Sanji and his friends be able to rescue her?NxS
1. Default Chapter

Author's notes:  
New story! Anchored in my mind one night, when I tried to sleep after a very long night with my friends... when all I wanted to do, was drop the lids! But the story just wouldn't leave peacefully so I had to write this!  
  
Not sure, but this could be very slightly OOC... but just very slightly.  
Tell me what you think about it!  
Thanx go to my sis... you go girl!!!

/()/()/()/()/()/  
"Usopp!! Get Nami outta here!!"  
Stopping in the middle of loading his sling shot, Usopp turned around to find Sanji kicking one of their opponents into a near wall.  
  
"I don't need to get rescued! Can do that myself!!" Nami yelled across her shoulder.  
When she turned back around, she had barely time to duck as a soldier sliced the air, where her head had been only a heartbeat ago, with his sword.  
  
Her answer came in form of her bo, slamming down at the man, who collapsed unconscious on the floor in front of the navigator.  
  
"I'm finished here, we should better get going before they send another unit full of marines!" Sanji told Nami and Usopp, who had made their way to where the cook was currently lighting a new cigarette.  
  
"The others are hopefully already on board of the Going Merry and wait for us."  
"Nami's right... uhm... where exactly is the ship??" Usopp asked, scratching his chin and turning once around his own axis, before giving up and staring expectantly at the woman.  
  
"Down this street. When we reach its end, right, until we can see our ship... or hear Luffy yell."  
"You are so clever, my Nami-honey!!"  
Smiling slightly, she winked at him, making his heart beat faster.  
  
"Then why are we still standing here?!" Usopp started to run off towards the street and disappeared behind a house wall.  
  
Shaking her head, Nami followed him, Sanji closely behind her, covering her six.  
But just before he had time to reach the wall, he caught sight of something moving in the corner of his eye.  
  
Too late he realized that it was one of the marines he had kicked into oblivion some moments ago and who was still able to stand upright. The man was swinging a large piece of broken wood into his direction, but there wasn't enough time for Sanji to react.  
  
The timber hit him square across his right thigh, the force of the impact making him lose his footing. He fell backwards and landed ungracefully on his butt.  
  
When he looked up he saw the marine lifting the piece of wood again, obviously intending to deliver the final blow to put the cook out of action and Sanji tried to lift his boot to send the guy flying across the street, when searing pain shot through his leg, making him gasp in surprise and agony.  
  
White dots started dancing through his vision and Sanji closed his eyes for a moment to clear it.  
As he opened them again, he was baffled to find his attacker falling over, landing in a heap beside him with a large bump forming at the man's head.  
  
"Sanji! You alright?" Nami was standing in front of him, her weapon still raised as she looked down at him with concerned eyes.  
  
"Yeah, think so." He replied. "Then get up... we've to leave this island! It's swarming with soldiers."  
  
Nodding, Sanji took hold of her offered hand, getting ready to pull himself up.  
But as soon as the leg, which had been hit by the cudgel, touched the ground, pain exploded in his thight, spreading throughout his whole right side and ending in his toes.  
  
"Argh, dammit!!" He hissed through gritted teeth, squeezing Nami's hand tightly until his knuckles turned white from the strain.  
  
"Sanji! What's up?"  
"My damn leg! That idiot broke it!"  
  
Getting down onto her knees, Nami took a closer look at the thigh.  
Shocked she found the trouser partly ripped open, bone tissue shining through the black material and blood dripping out of the thankfully relative small wound.  
  
"Where the heck have ya been!!" Usopp yelled, running back through the street he had vanished in some time ago. "Usopp, help me with Sanji... you take his left and I his right side."  
  
Momentarily bewildered, the long nosed man looked down onto the cook's leg, around which Nami was currently tying her belt, making Sanji gasp in pain. When Usopp saw the wound, he gulped down a lump that was slowly rising in his throat.  
  
Walking over to his two friends, he slung Sanji's arm over his shoulder, pulling him with Nami's help into an upright position.  
  
When the cook's boot touched the ground, the pain exploded again. He supressed the moans that lingered in his throat, threatening to escape his lips, but he couldn't prevent his body from tensing as he took the first insecure step forward, leaning heavily on his crewmates.  
  
Nami felt his muscles tense and flinched at the mere thought of the agony Sanji was currently experiencing, but knew that he would try to hide every weakness as long as she was anywhere near him and especially as long as they were in such a mess.  
  
Slowly, minding Sanji's injury, the three friends made their way through the gloomy, narrow street, trying to walk around the various obstacles, like boxes and garbage cans.  
  
In Nami's opinion they were doing quite good.  
Nobody appeared to be following them and Usopp and she did a good job, supporting Sanji.  
  
Sanji, on the other hand, felt like he had failed miserably!  
Not only that he got injured because he had let his guard down, but also did he need the help of his precious Nami! He was supposed to help her and not the other way round, dammit!  
  
He could already hear Zoro making cracks about his inability to safe his own ass, needing a girl and a scaredy-cat as bodyguards... he was so gonna kick him senseless when he even thought about commenting on the situation!  
  
Hearing Sanji grumble something incoherently beside her, Nami turned her head slightly around, trying to see his face. She feared they were straining the leg to much and that Sanji was trying to conceal the pain...  
  
"You alright?"  
"Yeah, just thinking about Zoro's upcoming smart-ass comment..."  
Snickering, she was glad that Sanji was already up to thinking such things... Zoro wasn't sure as hell their biggest concern right now!  
  
She knew that they could make it back to the Going Merry within half an hour considering their current tempo... Nami just hoped that nothing happened until then, because she didn't think that Usopp and herself could fend off the marine soldiers 'and' force Sanji to stay in the background at the same time!  
  
"Uh-oh..." Groaning, Nami tried to supress the 'I knew it' that burned a hole into her tongue.  
"What's up, Usopp?" She asked, glancing over to him.  
  
"They're at the beginning of the street... don't think they've seen us, yet..."  
"What?!"  
  
Turning around, she cursed silently under her breath as she saw the distant figures of their persuers entering the street. She guessed that there were still about four hundred meters between them and the soldiers, but they were going to close up very soon!  
  
She had to think.  
"You gotta have to leave me here! You go, get Luffy and Zoro and I'll wait here for ya."  
  
Bad idea, Nami thought when Sanji told them about his 'plan.  
"Bad one... You won't be able to fight them off with that leg! You don't seem to have noticed the hole in your trouser and the bones sticking out, huh?"  
  
Sighing, Sanji averted his gaze from the woman beside him, staring stubbornly at the wall to his left.  
He really was aware of the fact that he wouldn't stand a chance in a fight against them in his codition... and he also knew that his legs were the only things he could rely on as deadly weapons, but he was not gonna get Usopp and especially Nami into any danger he could prevent!  
  
And if he had to sacrifice himself, so be it!!  
  
"Usopp, help me get Sanji into that house." She pointed to an old, run-down house, with a small window leading inside.  
Usopp nodded, taking over Sanji's full weight as Nami had to open the window.  
  
Climbing inside, Nami gave the room a short once-over, glad that it was empty and dusty, having apparently not seen a human being for quite a while.  
She then got back and took hold of Sanji's legs, pulling them carefully into the room.  
  
After some moments, Sanji was fully inside, sitting slowly down against the wall, fists clenched as he breathed through the pain.  
He heard Usopp follow him suit and Nami close the window but he didn't dare and open his eyes just yet, knowing that he wasn't going to see much more than black and white dots dancing around him.  
  
"Alright... Usopp, run down the parallel street and get to the ship... bring Luffy and Zoro along with ya and hurry up!"  
Eyes snapping open, Sanji regarded Nami with a look of pure disbelief.  
  
"What?! You'll stay here with me? I don't think so, Nami!! That's way too dangerous for such a lovely lady... go with Usoppp... I'll be just fine." He tried to smile up at her, but Nami looked right though his facade.  
  
"Whatever... why are you still here, Usopp?"  
Nodding, he walked out of the room and after some moments, Nami heard the front door open and close.  
  
"You shouldn't have stayed."  
"Yeah, yeah... how are you feeling?"  
  
For a rather long moment, Sanji was silent.  
He really didn't know how he felt about Nami's decision to stay behind with him.  
  
On the one hand he was very concerned about her well-being, because as long as she stayed here with him, she was in great danger. He couldn't protect her like he was normally doing and just the thought of her getting hurt, because his legs weren't working the way they were supposed to, made the blood in his vains boil up in anger and frustration.  
  
On the other hand, Sanji was very, very glad.  
Nami hadn't left him, not thinking about her own important safety just so that he wasn't alone.  
  
"Why did you stay?" He finally asked, making eye contact with the woman standing by the window, looking out for any form of danger.  
"You rather alone?" Nami snapped, turning around to where he was still sitting with his back against the wall.  
  
At hearing her words leave her mouth in such a tone of voice, she immediately felt sorry, sighing as she thought about the way it must have sounded.  
  
He hadn't done anything wrong... and she wasn't angry with him.  
No, she was very angry with herself!  
  
Thinking back to the events of the morning, she couldn't prevent the feeling of pure guilt rise within the pit of her stomache.  
It had been, after all, her fault that the marine had attacked them in the first place.  
  
The strawhat pirates had dropped the anchor in the harbor of this island early that morning, Sanji and Usopp having intended to get new supplies in the nearest town. Nami had voiced her wish to accompany them, hoping to be able to nick some well-filled purses, about which Sanji had been more than happy.  
  
Unfortunately, one of the locals she had tried to rob had turned out to be a marine in civvies and soon a whole unit of soldiers was after them.  
  
So it was all her fault... she was the reason for their flight; she was the reason for their lack of food,  
about which Luffy would complain quite soon; she was the reason why Sanji was lying here, injured and...  
  
"Not your fault, Nami. We've always had the luck of running into the worst messes, right?!" He was grinning up at her, with his newly lit cigarette burning in the darkness of the house.  
"You're probably right, but I'm still sorry."  
  
"Don't be... the most important thing is that you get outta here." Sanji told her with a sincer voice, looking directly into her dark eyes.  
  
Which made her feel even worse.  
He was always thinking about her safety. Never about his own and was always willing to sacrifice anything as long as she was alright.  
  
She had to admit that Sanji's openly showed affection and love made her always feel good... if not great! She had never felt so loved and precious ever since Bellemere had died and slowly and with much help of her friends, she had been able to live on and overcome the trauma.  
  
She owed them all a great deal and had come to love them all like brothers... but with Sanji, it was something else... Nami knew that she wasn't exactly showing her feelings towards him, nor did she thank him often enough for what he was always doing for her, but there had been something right from the start that made her heart skip a beat as soon as she only smelt the scent of his cigarette brand...  
  
She just wouldn't admit it openly... not towards him and not to herself.  
  
"So when we get back on board, what do you want to eat?"  
Sanji's voice brought Nami out of her reverie, a frown appearing on her face as she looked down at the blond man. He was obviously trying to take her mind off the depressing topic of their current situation.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll fix something simple... well, simple for your conditions. How 'bout pancakes and soup?" Nami said, leaning against the wall beside Sanji.  
  
The cook looked up bewildered, noticing the faintest ghost of a smile on her lips as she waitd for his reaction.  
"Nami... "  
  
"Stop 'Nami-ing' me... no matter what you say, this is partly my fault, so I'm gonna make up for it somehow and at least fix dinner tonight... if Luffy or anybody else complains, they'll all be sorry."  
Shaking his head, Sanji grinned to himself. "Don't think, Luffy will ever complain about anything related to food, as long as there is enough and it's gulp-able."  
  
Opening her mouth, Nami was about to comment, when they heard the noise of somebody running outside on the street where they had been minutes ago.  
The two friends didn't dare move an inch, both straining their ears to catch something from outside.  
  
"Lieutenant! We didn't find them anywhere in the streets!" One man said.  
"Then go and search the houses, dammit! They have to be anywhere here and they won't leave this island!!" The second man yelled angrily.  
  
Gasping, Nami's eyes went wide at hearing the order.  
The marines were going to look inside any house near the place where they had had the fight... it was only a matter of time until they got inside this one!  
  
"Go."  
Surprised, Nami turned towards Sanji.  
He was puffing silently at his cigarette, blowing out a mouthful of grey smoke.  
  
He ment it.  
Nami knew that he would rather stay here unprotected than risk her life... but she wouldn't let him this time!  
  
Walking up to him, she knelt down by his side, eyes casted downwards as she thought about what she was going to do next.  
This time, she wouldn't let him risk anything for her... she was greatly indebted in him and it was time to pay some of his respect and love back! As she had already said, she was going to make up for the endless times he had given her anything... no matter how!!  
  
Bewildered, Sanji watched Nami look up from the grey floor, directly into his eyes.  
He knew in an instant that she was up to something when she gave him a obviously forced smile.  
"Nami... ?"  
  
He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, when she suddenly covered the small space between them,  
her head only inches away from his. Sanji wanted to do something... anything, as the uneasiness about her strange behaviour grew with every second that passed, when she finally closed the gap between their mouths, her lips ascending upon his.  
  
Shocked was not even covering it, when Sanji felt the first slight contact of their lips and he was too perplexed to even think about reacting to her actions!  
For Sanji, the kiss seemed to last an eternity, but in reality it was over within a fraction of a second,  
Nami having feared that she would have gotten too consumed into the feeling.  
  
Eyes still fuzzy, Sanji noticed her get up from the floor in the corner of his eyes, hands searching for something at her thigh.  
When she stepped in front of him, he suddenly snapped out of his trance-lik state, averting his eyes from her legs and looking directly into her hers.  
  
"Nami... "  
"I'm sorry."  
  
With that she lifted her right arm.  
In a haze, the cook realized that she was holding her bo tightly in her hand, but it was too late for him to do anything about it.  
The staff came already crashing down at him, hitting Sanji at the side of his neck.  
  
White light seemed to explode around him and Sanji felt himself slide down the wall, falling down onto his side where his cheek then lay on the cold dirty ground.  
  
Before his vision blackened and he lost consciousness, he saw Nami's blurred form walk over to window, where she got up onto the sill and after some hesitating jumped out of window.

/()/()/()/()/()/  
FINIS!!  
  
... what the heck was this all about?! Why did she do that to our lovely Sanji?? I want answers!... You, too? Well, go and drop a review...


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes:  
So this story took some time, sorry 'bout that.  
Big huge honkin' thanks for the nice reviews!  
Hope you'll like this part as well, 'cause the next one is already in work and I'm only saying: shippiness en masse!!

/()/()/()/()/()/  
"Nami?"  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
Inhaling deeply, she gripped the bo in her hand more tightly and aimed it at the man sitting baffled in front of her. The staff hit him right at the side of his neck... Nami knew that with that she had taken him out of action for some time.  
  
She didn't waste a second, walking over to the small window leading to the street where this had started in the first place and opened it carefully. Taking a look outside, Nami made sure no marine soldiers or civilists were running around outside, who could jeopardize her plan.  
  
To her relief, the street was empty and so she jumped up onto the sill.  
She was just about to climb out, when she felt the overwhelming need to look back one final time.  
  
Sanji lay unconscious on the floor, his cheek pressed against the dirty ground. A red streak seemed to glow in the gloomy light of the room, accusing her.  
Every time he exhaled, his breath disturbed the thin layer of dust covering the stone floor.  
  
'I'm sorry...' That didn't even begin to cover what she was feeling right now!  
Nami knew that there hadn't been any other way but to knock him out. Otherwise, Sanji would have done 'anything' to prevent her from pushing through her plan.  
  
This was her chance to rescue him and not as usual the other way round!  
She couldn't let him risk his life for her this time, not in his condition! Not now and never again.  
And if she'd told him about her intensions, he would have probably moved hell itself to keep her in the relative safety of this house and by his side!  
  
Having made sure, he was alive, Nami finally jumped down the window, landing without much noise on the street. There she immediately took off into the direction where she and the guys had had the fight with the marines.  
  
Within no time, she had reached the place where the injured soldiers where still lying, medical personal taking care of their wounds.  
She was still gripping her bo tightly in her sweaty hands, when one injured man lifted his head, looking straight at her where she was standing at the entry of the street.  
  
"That's the bitch!! She and those guys did this!!" He yelled, his uninjured arm pointing at her.  
"Uhm, sorry... forgot my purse here..."  
  
"Get her!!"  
But Nami had already started to run down the main street... heading away from the house where Sanji was lying and away from the harbor. She wasn't intending to run into anybody of her crew mates, when they were bringing Sanji out of the danger zone!  
  
When she turned back around, about ten marines were pursuing her, the noise of their heavy boots echoing through the street and Nami's ears.  
They were catching up quite fast and she knew that it wouldn't take much longer, before they would get her.  
  
Closing her eyes for a second, the picture of her and Sanji kissing, sprang unforbidden to her mind.  
"They won't get you..." She whispered in between breaths. Straining her muscles and mobilizing the last of her energy reserves, she gained speed, trying to get more space between her and the soldiers.  
  
To her surprise, out of the blue, more marines appeared, blocking her way and forcing Nami to come to an halt in the middle of her flight.  
  
"If you don't fight, this'll be much easier, girl." One of them said, slowly advancing towards Nami.  
"Guess so... " She replied, watching as the man extended his arms towards her, handcuffs in hands.  
"... but I'm not in the mood!"  
  
Swinging her bo at him, she hit his head hard.  
Turning around, she dodged the attack of another soldier, bringing him down with a kick into his groin.  
  
Unforunately, she was hopelessly outnumbered and didn't stand a chance against them all and so the man from earlier got a second chance of handcuffing her, which he did promptly with maybe he put too much pressure on her wrists...  
  
"Bring her to the ship!"

/()/()/()/  
'Nami'  
Dammit! Why didn't she hear him?  
  
'Nami'  
Reaching out his hand, Sanji tried in vain to get hold of her, but as soon as he thought he would finally be able to grasp her arm or shoulder, she practically flew out of his reach.  
  
'Nami, please'  
Pleading, Sanji came to an halt, hoping she would at least take notice of him.  
  
For a rather long moment, nothing happened.  
Nami stood with her back facing him in the middle of an endlessly white hall. With the white shirt and trouser she was wearing, it was nearly impossible for Sanji to make out her shape against the blinding bright background.  
  
But then she turned around.  
Her eyes looked so sad and she appeared to think about something that depressed her. Her arms were crossed behind her back and her gaze was casted downwards, giving Sanji the impression that the woman standing in front of him was only a shadow of Nami's usual self... nearly like a young school girl.  
  
'Nami.' He tenderly asked into the silence, his hand slowly lifting to reach out for her again.  
  
This time, she looked up, eyes seemingly searching for the owner of the voice that had been calling her name dozens of times.  
Suddenly her eyes went wide as she found his gaze locked with hers and for a long moment they just looked at each other and Sanji had again the need to touch her, hold her tightly and never let her go again.  
  
It was then that he noticed the slight change of her mood.  
Her eyes were no longer empty and scared... they were practically glowing with joy and a bright,  
genuine smile appeared on her lips, one of those, Sanji was so addicted to.  
  
'Nami'  
He called again, never breaking eye contact as he started to advance towards her.  
  
She didn't move and even encouraged him to come closer with her hand waving happily towards him.  
He was only some meter away from her, when suddenly something appeared in his way.  
  
Sanji had no time to jump over the obstacle and fell, a searing pain exploding in his thigh.  
Hitting the ground hard, the white floor transformed into dirty, black stone and when he inhaled deeply, he could smell the dust in the air.  
  
'Sanji...' Somebody was calling him... but it wasn't Nami.  
'Hey'  
Something hard hit his ribs, making him moan in obvious discomfort.  
  
"Hey, you stupid cook!! Get up! I sure as hell won't carry ya!!" A gruff voice he knew better than he would love to, told him angrily and Sanji had no other chance but to open his eyes and face the owner of the voice.  
  
"Get outta my sight with your damn toothpicks..." Sanji mumbled under his breath, hands coming to rest underneath his chest where he was lying face down on the cold floor.  
  
Though he had his eyes open, he still couldn't see much.  
It was gloomy and some stubborn white dots still danced across his vision, refusing to leave him the hell alone.  
  
In front of him, he could make out two set of boots and two wore-down sandals.  
One of the boots lifted off the ground, swinging towards his belly where they connected with his stomache, making his mumble some curses.  
  
"Hey, Sanji!" Looking up, the blond man stared with bleary eyes at Usopp.  
"Huh?"  
"Where's Nami?!"

/()/()/()/  
At least she was alive.  
  
"I ask you last time! What is your name?!"  
Averting her eyes from her still cuffed wrists, Nami looked at the owner of the dark voice... some marine soldier, she had forgotten the name of, but was calling 'Mr. Idiot' instead.  
Staring into his angry eyes, she merely shrugged, which was about all she was intending to offer voluntarily as long as he didn't ask nicely!  
  
Shaking his head, he gave another man standing behind Nami a slight sign with his hand, which lead to a very unpleasent pull at her hair.  
"Ok! Calm down. ... My name's Nojiko."  
  
A frown appeared on Mr. Idiot's forehead as he went through the list of wanted criminals.  
After some moments, he laid the list back down and regarded Nami with a long hard look.  
  
"Alright... Nojiko... Seems you have a clean record, well, until now anyway." He told her, not missing the rolling of her eyes at his words.  
"Why did you attack those soldiers?"  
Nami was so not in the mood to talk with that guy... she was, to say it bluntly, pissed off. Big time!  
  
"I attacking them?! 'They' attacked 'me'!" Nami said, her voice rising a notch.  
Sighing, the marine soldier shook his head as he regarded 'Nojiko' with a disbelieving look.  
  
"Well, whatever. You and your accomplice, who we still havn't found, injured seventeen marine soldiers and one of them will probably lose his left arm..." 'Ouch', Nami thought as she remembered how Sanji had smashed that guy into a wall with his boots.  
  
"We'll bring you to the next marine base, where you'll be accused of serious bodily harm. Until then you'll be held prison in this cell on board of this ship."  
  
Now it was Nami's cue to sigh as she watched Captain Whatever-his-name-was walk out of her new residence for the next few days. The cell had probably been designed for very, very small people and had only few comforts, like a hammock and a sink... but she had seen worse in her days as thief.  
  
Closing her eyes and exhaling loudly, she sat back against the metal wall of the cell. She drew her legs up and laid her arms crossed onto her knees, allowing her head to rest on them for a while.  
"Just great... "  
  
For a second, it was silent. Not only her surroundings, but also her mind was blank.  
But then again it didn't take long for Nami to occupy her brain with something... something that had actually happened without it's consent.  
  
"Why did I do this?" She mumbled barely audible for her own ears.  
'Because you knew that this was probably the last chance for you to show him your true feelings.' A very unfriendly voice told her in the back of her mind.  
  
"Shut up... there'll be plenty of chances to do that... after I get outta here."  
'Kidding, right? You should've told him a long time ago about it!' The nagging 'inner Nami' told her.  
  
"I'm having a discussion with myself..."  
'Trying to avoid the truth, huh?'  
  
"Not avoiding it... I know my feelings for him."  
'He's an idiotic love cook, glued to your ass as if his life depends on it? You like the way he shows you 'his' feelings? You like the lil presents he gives you every single day?'  
Anger boiled up in her vains and with a loud thud Nami banged her head against the wall behind her,  
making a face as the pain spread out through her skull, apperently gathering in her temples.  
  
"I hope you're alright, Sanji..."

/()/()/()/  
"She did what?!?" Luffy asked incredulously after Sanji had told them what he remembered of what had happened after Usopp had left him and Nami alone in this house.  
  
"And you stupid baby let her just leave, huh?"  
"Shut the hell up! She hit me with her staff and I lost consciousness..."  
This time, Zoro didn't know a smart-ass reply. He merely stared at Sanji, still sitting on the floor, where Usopp was fixating his leg with a makeshift cast.  
  
"Yeah, sounds like Nami... but why would she leave you alone and get herself consciously into danger?"  
Luffy nodded at hearing Usopp's thoughts.  
  
"Dunno... she's been behaving strangely right from the moment after I got injured."  
"Why? What did she do that makes ya think so?" Luffy asked, sitting cross-legged on a dusty table.  
  
Sanji felt a slight blush rise in his cheeks and hoped nobody noticed it in the gloomy light of the room. He really didn't have the nerve right now to explain them what Nami had done before she had hit him... especially not as long as Zoro was anywhere near him!  
  
"She seemed a bit off, I guess..." 'Phew. Rescued by the liar.' Sanji thought when Usopp spoke up.  
"Was way too concerned about his leg and sent 'me' instead of going herself to get you... you know her; she'd normally fight with me about who needs more protection... though I don't need any help! I'm a brave warrior of the sea!!"  
  
"Well, we should better get going and find her... without Nami we will never find the One Piece and then I'll never become Pirate King!!" Luffy explained hastily, terror clearly evident in his eyes.  
  
"Maybe, one of those soldiers running around outside knows where she is..."  
Sanji didn't like to admit it, but Zoro was right. They needed to find her ASAP and without further delay. Every wasted second meant, that Nami could be in life-threatening danger and that was something, Sanji would and could never accept as long he was alive!

/()/()/()/  
"Nojiko, huh?"  
'Mr. Idiot again...' Nami sighed inwardly when the soldier from earlier along with the captain of the ship opened the door to her cell.  
  
"We contacted the captain of the ship that we hoped could bring you to the marine base and sent him your photo... seems as if he knows you and well, your name isn't 'Nojiko', right?"  
"If you wanne call my mom a liar..."  
  
"No, I call 'you' a liar! Captian Smoker told me you're the navigator of the Straw-hat pirates and that your name is 'Nami'... is that right?"  
Nami didn't say a word, instead, she tried hard to supress a groan.  
  
Smoker... not that guy again!  
She already knew what was going to happen next...  
  
"He asked for the immediate handing over of your person. We're already on our way and should reach his position within the next few hours."  
Talk about falling out of the frying pan into the fire...

/()/()/()/  
"Where have they gone?!" Sanji was on the verge of flipping out!  
Why wouldn't that guy just tell them where the ship with Nami on board was heading?  
His precious love was alone, somewhere out there, maybe hurt and only God knew what torture she had to endure while she was on board of a ship with dozens of damn, brutal marines!  
  
Pursing his lips, Zoro tightened his grip on the collar of the soldier's shirt and pulled his face nearer towards his... which brought cold sweat onto the poor man's forehead.  
"Hey, Usopp! Tell me, when was the last time I sharpened my swords?" He said in a low, dangerous voice, eyes never leaving the anxious ones of the soldier.  
  
"Uhm... 's been some weeks, I guess."  
"Good... " With that, Zoro slowly drew out his Wado-ichi-monji with his free hand, bringing it near the soldier's neck.  
  
"Alright, alright!! The ship is on its way to the next marine base!"  
"And how do we get there?" Turning around, Usopp asked Luffy. "Nami still got our Lock Pose."  
"You're right... hmmm..."  
  
Stepping forward, one hand holding onto a crutch, Sanji looked coolly at the frightened marine soldier, lightening a new cigarette. "Anybody here got an Eternal Pose to that base? Nobody?" He asked seemingly no-one in particular.  
  
"I-I have..."  
The four friends turned as one to the owner of the wavering voice, mischievous grins covering their faces.  
  
Sanji would find her... no matter at what costs!

/()/()/()/()/()/  
FINIS!!  
  
Sorry... a bit dense, I know, but I had to get some plots started here... next chap'll be much more shippier! Promise!!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: Sorry folks, this took so long, but study started and I had to get used to it... I hope you forgive me and like this part.  
  
I'm not sure why this story turned out the way it is now, but I wasn't intending it... who knows what it was good for Don't forget to review!!!  
  
--------------------  
  
"Robin?"  
"Yes?"  
  
A pause.  
Then:  
  
"Are we there, yet?"  
"No."  
"Oh."  
  
Another pause.  
Then:  
  
"Usopp?"  
"No!! Dammit, Luffy! I can't see the island, yet, so don't even think about asking for the umpteenth time!!" Usopp yelled down from the crow's nest, hoping the rubber-boy would 'finally' understand the meaning of 'no'...  
  
"When, did the guy say, should we reach it?" Luffy asked, turning around where he was sitting cross-legged on the lamb's head, having watched the horizon without blinking once for the last two hours.  
  
"Said, we should reach the marine headquarters in something around a day... if nothing happens on the way." Zoro replied, having just walked out of the ship and sat down on the stairs leading towards the main deck.  
  
"We have to keep in mind, that this stretch of water is probably swarming with marine ships and we shouldn't risk a fight. The ship with Nami on board already has a lead of more than two hours and a fight would only increase the gap between her and us." Robin told her crewmates solemnly, eyes fixated on the Lock Pose in her hands, as she checked the course.  
  
"Yeah, well, if that stupid frying pan hadn't wimped out, we wouldn't have to play hide and seek in the middle of the Grand Line." Zoro mumbled, watching Sanji from the corner of his eyes.  
  
But Sanji didn't say anything to that, much to Zoro's dismay.  
He had hoped that the cook would react to his comment and would finally stop brooding in self-pity and would start behaving like his normal self... running around on deck, getting on everybody's nerves about how he would kill anybody who would dare touch his lovely Nami.  
  
But Sanji was far from his usual self.  
He hadn't said a word ever since they were heading towards the marine base, eyes always casted downwards onto his leg. He hadn't even averted his gaze or had made a noise, when Chopper had set his leg (which Zoro had to admit, had looked more than painful) and had cleaned the wound.  
  
Although it wasn't self-pity that haunted Sanji.  
There was on the one hand, that loud angry voice inside his head, accusing him of not having been able to defend his only true love... telling him how incapable of standing his man he was.  
  
But the one feeling that kept his mind occupied for most of the time, was pure and uttermost concern.  
The thought that she was out there, alone and unable to protect herself, felt worse than the blinding, white pain when he had broken his leg.  
  
It seemed to make his blood boil and made him almost forget the pain in his thigh.  
  
"Captain, we should better reef the sails... we don't want anybody to see the Jolly Roger, right?" Robin suggested.  
Within no seconds, the panicked men lowered their flag.  
  
"Right now, we can drift with the current... if needed you will have to use the oars and paddle."  
Usopp nodded as he thought about Robin's suggestion, knowing that this was probably the best and easiest way to get to the island where Nami was being held, without gaining too much attention.  
  
Sighing, Chopper wiped away the beads of sweat on his forehead, glad they had banished another problem that could have jeopardized their mission, when:  
  
"Luffy!! There are two marine ships!!" Usopp suddenly yelled down.  
"What are we doing now?!" Eyes wide in fear, Chopper started running around on deck as if he had gotten bitten by a tarantula.  
  
Getting up from her folding chair, Robin walked over to where the little deer was holding tightly onto the mast. "We keep silent and get out of their range as fast as possible. And stop yelling and blowing a fuse... that makes us all the more suspicious to them." With that she leaned back against the railing, facing away from the two ships.  
  
"Right... no fight." Luffy nodded, concentrating instead again on the horizon.  
  
For some minutes the friends were silent, everybody engrossed in thinking about the upcoming events,  
when Usopp cleared his throat soundly, getting everybody's attention at once.  
"Hey, Robin... what are they gonna do with Nami when they've reached the base?"  
  
Five heads turned towards the raven-haired woman.  
"In case they find out who she is, they'll probably execute her... she's after all the navigator of the famous straw-hat pirates."  
  
Jaw agape, Luffy watched Robin with wide eyes. For the first time he realized that this situation wasn't as funny as he'd thought. It was grave and finding Nami had to be their only concern right now...  
  
A loud 'bang' made them all look at the cook, who had just slammed his fist into the ship's side,  
the railing having burst under the enormous strength that lay behind the blow.  
"They won't get the chance to touch her."  
  
----------  
  
"Captain Smoker, there's a caravelle, heading towards the marine base."  
Saluting, a young officer waited for his CO to react to his report, face set and eyes fixated on a point somewhere in the distance.  
  
"And?"  
"..." Gulping down the lump in his throat, the young man glanced nervously at th back of his captain's head, not really knowing what to reply.  
  
"Listen,buddy, there's other business I have to take care of right now and there's no time to hunt down some damn ship you blind fish accidently found and that's probably transporting new supplies to the base!! Now get outta my sight and get Lieutenant Tashgi down here and as long as no Jolly Roger is laughing in your face, I don't want to see ya again here!!"  
  
"Yessir!!" The poor officer yelled and took off into the opposite direction, running down some stairs to get inside the large marine ship.  
  
Exhaling a lung of smoke with an exaggerated sigh, Captain Smoker headed to where five soldiers had just entered his ship, having brought his 'special guest' on board.  
Having made sure she wouldn't jump into the sea any time soon, he allowed his gaze to wander towards the second ship, acknowledging the other captain with a short nod.  
  
"Captain! Is she here already?"  
Spinning around, jaws set, Smoker regarded the young woman with a long hard glare, a vain appearing on his forehead.  
  
"Would I otherwise call you, Lieutenant?!"  
"No, Sir!" Tashgi replied, gripping her precious sword harder.  
  
Shaking his head, the white-haired man watched his prisoner walk towards him, two men on either side of her.  
She was still handcuffed and her gaze was casted downwards at her sandals. She obviously wasn't intending to look at him any time soon and Smoker muttered something incoherently under his breath as he thought about the upcomming battle of wills...  
  
"Did they leave ya behind or why are you running around, beating the crap outta some fine officers, huh?" He asked, arms folded across his chest.  
  
Nami glared at him, anger clearly evident in her large eyes.  
She wasn't stupid and knew exactly what he was trying to do with her... get her angry and make her reveal something helpful to get the rest of her crew.  
  
"He asked you something, so answer pirate!" Tashgi stepped forward, finger pointing threateningly at Nami's face. But the other woman merely shrugged and pursed her lips, eyes roaming seemingly aimlessly over the ship and its surroundings.  
  
It was then, that Smoker stepped in front of Nami, blowing a cloud of grey fume into her face.  
"We both know, they'll try and get you back and all I have to do is lean back and wait."  
  
'And that', Nami thought bitterly, 'was exactly what was going to happen'  
Snorting, she shook her head, making a face as she watched Smoker grin cheekily. He nodded towards the two soldiers flanking her sides, who saluted sharply before leading Nami away from their captain, bringing her down into the holding cells.  
  
"Tashgi, I don't think it'll take too long, until they get here... send a message to the base and tell them to be at a ready."  
"Yes, Captain Smoker."  
  
----------  
  
"Hey, Luffy! I can see the island!!"  
"Really?!!" Jumping up, Luffy stood straight on the lamb's head, shielding his eyes with one hand as he kept an eye out on the island, hoping to get a first glimpse of the base.  
  
"How long until we reach it?" Zoro yelled up to Usopp, his arm resting on the hilts of his three swords.  
"Maybe another half an hour... wait!! There are two ships heading this way!!"  
  
"They apparently know we're coming, which is..."  
"No problem at all." Zoro finished Robin's sentence with a lopsided grin one hand patting almost lovingly his three swords.  
  
"Yeah!! A fight!!!" Luffy seemed to be more than happy to finally get his hands on Nami's kidnapper and started stretching his arms and legs, preparing himself for the next few minutes of action.  
"B-but shouldn't we try and reach the base where they hold Nami first?" Chopper asked with concern.  
  
"They're standing in our way, so we get rid of 'em."  
The little deer turned around to where Sanji had stood up, leaning heavily on a makeshift crutch. His eyes were dark and a newly lit cigarette dangled between pursed lips.  
  
----------  
  
"So I heard you got another member? Anybody I know?"  
Rolling her eyes, Nami looked up at the smoking man standing across from her, leaning casually against the metal wall behind him. He had been in here for the last ten minutes, asking her things about her crewmates without a break and slowly it was freaking her out.  
  
"Listen, I'm so not in the mood right now... why don't you wait until you see them the next time? I don't know where they are and what they're doing. I needed a break from them and don't have a damn clue about their whereabouts!"  
  
Chuckling, Smoker pushed away from the wall, taking some steps towards the bunk, Nami was sitting on, elbows resting on her knees and her chin lying comfortably in her open palms.  
"Don't worry... they'll be here in no time and until then you..."  
  
Suddenly the cell door burst open, the young soldier from earlier coming to an abrupt halt as he nearly ran into Captain Smoker's back.  
Turning around, eyes narrowed, Smoker glared at the heavily breathing man.  
"What the heck are you doing here! Didn't I tell ya to stay outta my sight?!"  
  
"Y-yes, Sir... but the marine base just called... they were being attacked."  
"Who?" Was all the large man asked calmly.  
"The straw-hat pirates, Sir... they're on their way towards us!"  
  
Gulping soundly, a picture of her friends flashed through Nami's mind.  
They were coming... running directly into Smoker's arms.  
  
----------  
  
"Damn that damn man!! I'm so gonna kick his damn ass!!" Luffy swore as he bounced around on deck,  
totally oblivious to his friends, who were sitting or standing around him, Chopper tending to the few wounds they had acquired during their short fight against the marine soldiers of the base.  
  
Right now he was repairing the cast around Sanji's leg, glaring openly at the silent man.  
Even though the young deer had tried hard to keep Sanji from anticipating in the fight, he had stood no chance against the blond man.  
  
Without a word, he had jumped right into the middle of the ongoing battle, kicking his opponents into oblivion as if the open fracture on his leg didn't bother him at all. And he had also been the one who had found out about Smoker and his more than obvious plan to bait them with Nami.  
"He's got Nami... but what are we supposed to do, Luffy? Even you with your Gum-Gum-Powers don't stand a chance against him with his weird smoke-trick!" Usopp asked, a slight hint of hysteria audible in his voice.  
  
"Dunno. But we'll think of something when we get there."  
  
--------------------  
  
FINIS!  
Third part over... maybe there's another one waiting in my (brilliant...OO') brain... just tell me whatcha thinking about it so far! XD 


	4. Moving target4

Author's notes:  
I'm sooooooooooo sorry!! This took so long, 'cause study isn't as easy as I'd thought/hoped it would be.  
I actually wrote this partly in my physics and chemistry lectures and I hope I havn't written down anything my profs have been rambling on about... OO'

Now read and and tell me whether you've found out which part was written in which lecture XD

------------------------------

"Hmm... the weather is changing."Nami muttered under her breath as she stood in the middle of her cell,  
eyes roaming over the walls, as if she could look through the metal at the world outside.

She could feel the change with every fibre of her body.  
And it wasn't just the occasional sun/rain change... a big storm was brewing outside.

Glancing nervously towards the door, she listened as some soldiers sprinted past her cell, yelling incoherent orders and curses.  
Suddenly the ship turned to one side and Nami braced herself against one wall until it was horizontal again.

She knew that the ship had started moving some twenty minutes ago and was probably heading straight towards her men... coming to meet them half way.  
Immediately after Smoker had recieved the message that the straw-hat pirates were on their way to get her, he had left without another word, only a broad smile covering the better part of his face. He was sure he would finally have his chance to catch Luffy and his crew all at once... and whose fault was it?

Sighing in defeat, Nami looked down at her feet, wriggling her toes as she tried to distract her mind for a moment, knowing that her thoughts would soon settle again on the one topic, the one thing that seemed to have occupied her brain ever since she had done it... With 'it' meaning the kiss.

"Why do I always come up with such great plans?" She asked herself bitterly, closing her eyes as she shook her head slightly.  
'All I wanted to do was protect Sanji... I wanted to show him that he's just as valuable and needed as I am. And now I've made it all worse!' She paused in her revery when a large wave crashed against the side of the ship, shaking it violently from side to side.

Nami tried hard to keep her balance by swinging around wildly with her arms, but to no avail.  
Falling over, she fell face first into the bunk, her arms and legs banging painfully against the 'bed' and the floor.

"Urgh..." Moaning, Nami sat up straight, hands rubbing vigorously over some hurting spots at her thighs and knees. "Gonna have some nice bruises there..." She muttered under her breath as one hand came up to touch her numb nose.

Moving her hand in front of her eyes, she looked at her fingertips, sighing as she found thick, red blotches covering the sensitive skin. It was then, that she felt something wet dripping down her upper lip and onto the blanket of the bunk, staining it crimson.

Resisting the temptation to pull up her nose, she used the rim of her shirt as handkerchief, wiping away the blood. Wincing at the pain that exploded in her nose when she had touched it, she tried to hold back the hot tears that sprang to her eyes.  
This was neither the time nor the place to cry about a bleeding nose...

Again a large wave crashed against the ship's side.  
Fortunately, this time, Nami was already seated. She merely gripped the side of the bunk more tightly, waiting for the dangerously swaying room to come to an halt again.

Outside her cell, she could hear some men running past, their military boots echoeing loud in the near silence of the cell-wing.

'Have we reached them, yet?' Nami wondered, leaning against the 'bed' behind her.  
For some moments she gazed up at the door, before averting her eyes and staring at the blood drops that fell from her nose staining her bruised knees red.

---------

"Sanji! Stay inside"  
Taking hold of the cook's sleeve, Chopper tried in vain to keep him from walking towards the bow of the ship, where Luffy and Zoro were already standing, looking out for Smoker's ship.

They knew that he was probably already on his way to meet them and it was therefor only a matter of time until they would come face to face with a marine ship and its captain, who was apparently overly eager to get some serious ass-kicking.

"Don't think so." Sanji replied coolly as he dragged the little deer with him onto the main deck, past Robin and Usopp.  
"But I won't let you fight with such an injury!!" His voice grew more desperate and slowly, the Doc was losing his patience with the cook.

He had accepted the fact that Sanji had taken off the cast some half an hour ago, arguing that he couldn't walk with such a bulky millstone around his leg and that the fracture was already as good as healed, very reluctantly and not without a proper fight.

Unnecessary to say that the little deer had lost. He hadn't stood a chance against the stubborn cook and his made up mind and therefor had to watch helplessly as he had stormed out of the ship, trying to hide his limping unsuccessfully.

But the Doc was not going to let him jump right into the fight... again. This time his patient would have to obey his orders and stay right here and there was not a chance in hell that he was going to change his mind!

"Let him, Chopper. He won't listen anyway and we may need his help to get Nami back"  
Looking up, Chopper stared disbelieving at Luffy.

The rubber-boy knew that it was futile to keep Sanji away from the fight and was also aware of the fact, that they would probably need any help to overpower the marines... maybe not as much the soldiers, but more likely the white haired captain of the ship.

"I can see them!!" Usopp suddenly yelled, getting everybody's attention at once.

Pursing his lips, Sanji exhaled soundly through his nose, trying to calm down his nerves. He was on edge... had been for the whole time and now was not the time to be distracted. He had to stay focused on bringing her back.  
And if that meant fighting with an open fracture, so be it. And if that meant ignoring his inner voice screaming 'alert', so be it.

His safety meant nothing compared to Nami's.

"Guys... we're under attack!"

----------

A loud explosion ripped the air, forcing Nami to cover her ears with her palms.  
"Dammit!" She swore loudly, knowing that the noise outside meant, that they had reached their destination... the Going Merry.

Again cannon fire errupted on the decks above Nami's cell, the whole ship vibrating as a result. It was nearly too loud to bear and the red-haired woman crouched down in one corner of the cell, trying to prevent the noise from shattering her eardrums.

Suddenly the cell door flung open, two marine soldiers storming hastily into the room and heading straight towards Nami.  
"Get up! The Captain wants you on deck!!" One of them barked, grabbing Nami by her right arm and pulled her up, dragging her along behind him until they had reached the cell door.

In the corridor outside the cell his crew member was waiting, his cap covering partially his eyes. He was holding tightly onto his sword, but didn't suppose it to be necessary to draw it... she was after all 'just' a woman.

Snorting, Nami allowed the man still holding onto her arm to pull her along for another second, before she stopped dead in her tracks, bringing him to an abrupt halt in the middle of the door frame. His head snapped back to see what she was doing and was met by a clenched fist, hitting him squarely into his face and breaking the already crooked nose in the process.

Instinctively, the soldier let go of her arm, covering his bleeding nose with his hands and bent over.  
Nami had anticipated this and brought her knee up, hitting him in his groin.

The man doubled over in pain, sinking down onto his knees where he started groaning in agony.

"Damn bitch"  
Looking up, Nami stared at the second marine soldier, who was in the process of drawing his sword.

Without a second thought, Nami used her bare foot to push the kneeling, injured man in front of her backwards. He crashed into his colleague's legs, forcing him to take some steps back. Otherwise he would have lost his footing. After some seconds, the armed soldier turned back towards the cell, glaring furiously at the red-head. He then jumped over his crew mate, who was by now lying on the floor, still covering his groin.

"Good night!" Was the last thing the poor man heared before Nami slammed the cell door right into his face, knocking him out cold.

She waited a second, listening to the sound of a man sliding down the metal door and onto the floor, before she pulled the door open, stepping hastily over the unconscious forms of the two marines.  
Her eyes found the scattered sword lying beside one of the men and picked it up, not wasting a thought to finding another weapon.

In her years as thief, Nami had been forced to use all kinds of weapons and even though she wasn't even close to the skills of an average swords fighter (Zoro was way beyond 'anybody's' abilities), Nami was able to use it to her advantage. She could keep some dumb-ass marine in check or knock him out in an unguarded moment if necessary.

Spinning around, the young woman eyed the empty corridor she had been lead through some hours ago.  
There was nobody there, who could probably jeoperdize her plans, which allowed Nami to be carfully optimistic.

Taking one last deep breath to calm her revolting stomach, Nami sped off down the hallway, the noise of gun fire getting louder with every inch she came nearer to the door. In a haze the navigator realized that the cannon fire had stopped and the ship was no longer shaking violently under the force of the heavy explosions.

Nami knew that she was on the lowest floor and that another two floors lay between her and the deck where the source of the fighting noises were.  
Just another few minutes and she would reach the main deck.

----------

How they had gotten through the cannon fire without capsizing, was still a mystery to Usopp, but now they were merely meters away from the side of the marine ship.

The sharp shooter was crouched on the main deck of the Going Merry, covering his head with his hands, as he listened to the uncountable bullets the marines were firing at them, piercing the air around him.  
The cannon fire had been replaced by gun fire... the marines had apparently realized that the risk was too high that the pirate ship could have crashed into them, which would have resulted in two sinking ships and two drowning crews.

Another bullet flew past his ear and Usopp counted silently to five before he suddenly jumped up and served some gun-pouder-  
filled self-made bullets to the slightly baffled soldiers.  
He got five down and took the chance to get closer to the railing of the Going Merry. He sat down, with his back against the wooden side of the ship and rummaged through the content of his large bag, trying to find his other missiles in the mess.

"Straw-hat!"

Frowing, Usopp stared into the distance, stopping dead in what he was doing when he recognized the low, calm voice of captain Smoker coming from the ship behind him.  
He knew for a fact that the others, namely Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper, were already on the marine ship, beating the crap out of the soldiers.

"Missed me?" Luffy answered, a slight hint of amusement detectable in his voice.  
Usopp glanced across the side of the ship, his eyes catching sight of his friend and the white-haired man standing in the middle of the deck of the marine ship. Luffy's arms were crossed casually over his chest as he regarded Smoker with a mischievous grin.

"Not particularly, but another meet and greet was inevitable, right"  
"Right..."

"But this time there's no big bro here to haul your lil ass outta this fight"  
"Yeah... no one here to rescue ya."

With that, Luffy sped forward, his arms extending backwards.  
"Gum Gum Bazooka!!" He yelled as his hands flew past his body, straight towards an oddly calm man.

Smoker just stayed glued to the spot, the two cigarrs dangling between set jaws. Just before Luffy's fists connected with his chest and shoulder, he transformed into a grey cloud of smoke, letting the limbs pass right through his body.

Pursing his lips in frustration, the rubber boy watched his fists fly through his smugly grinning opponent. When they exited the other man's body they hit some unprepared soldier, before flying back towards their owner with a loud snap.

"Didn't learn a damn bit, eh?... White Strike!!"

----------

So far, so good.

Taking up position behind the main mast, Zoro sheathed his katana in a swift movement.  
Scattered around him lay about a dozen half-dead and unconscious marine soldiers, some of them still holding onto their useless swords for dear life.

They were no match for Zoro. No challenge at all.

But he had never even considered the marines to be a problem for him.  
No.

His mind was pre-occupied with something, or better 'someone' else.  
And until now, she hadn't showed her irritating face...

"Roronoa Zoro!! I've been waiting for you, you damn liar"  
Shocked at hearing 'her' voice coming from behind him, Zoro tightened his grip around the shaft of his sword, cold sweat covering his forehead. He hoped she would just go away and leave im the hell alone! Didn't she know already that she didn't stand a chance against him?!

"This time I'll confiscate your swords! So stop hiding and fight"  
Fighting the temptation to roll his eyes at that, he shook his head slightly.  
Apparently she hadn't learned her lesson, yet, and Zoro was not the person to deny her another painful one.

Inhaling deeply, Zoro stepped out of his 'hiding place', his hands drawing his three swords and placing the Wado Ichi Monchi between his jaws.  
"Let's see..." He mumbled around the shaft, eyes narrowed to a thin line.

----------

'Have to find her','Have to find her','Have to find her.  
Like a mantra, Sanji repeated he sentence over and over again in his mind.

He was breathing heavily, running across the deck as fast as he could.  
Occasionally he had to stop and kick some sense in the attacking marines, leaving behind a trail of unconscious, injured men.

"Where the heck is she?!" He panted as he jumped up onto th bridge, ignoring the momentary explosion of pain in his broken leg.  
He was heading to the metal door that lead inside he large ship.  
Sanji had a feeling that Nami was somewhere below deck, probably sitting frightened in some tiny, dirty cell. Only the thought made the blood in his vains boil and gave him an extra surge of energy and adrenaline.

The door was barely a meter away from him.  
He reached out with his hand, grasping the handle in mid-stride...

----------

The door was in sight.  
Nami could see a thin line of light shining through the gap between door and floor.

Another meter and she was outside!

Breathing heavily, Nami took the handle and pushed it down, her arm muscles tensing as she prepared herself for what was waiting outside, when suddenly the door flew open!

Too perplexed to react, Nami watched in horror as the metal door was slammed right into her face, the impact making her lose her stance. With a loud and painful thud she landed ungracefully on her back, the pain in her butt hurting nearly as much as her nose... that was bleeding for the second time that day.

When she looked up, she suddenly remembered that a marine was probably standing in the doorway, having now an advantage.  
Her grip tightened around the sword in her right hand. Looking up, she made out a blurred body surrounded by white light flooding into the corridor through the now wide open door.

----------

Sanji knew he had hit somebody with the door, the metal handle vibrating slightly from the impact.

He automatically let go of the handle, making the door fly into the wall with a bang that was barely audible with the noises of the ongoing fight behind him.

Unfortunately, the corridor he had found himself in was much darker than the with sunlight flooded deck, and Sanji needed some seconds to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimness.  
He could just make out a figure half sitting, half lying on the floor some two meters across from him.

Which meant that he hadn't knocked that dumb marine out yet... what a shame...

"Get outta my way, you jackass"  
Blinking in confusion, Sanji repeated the sentence the other person had just yelled at him in his mind.  
He had the odd feeling he knew the owner of the voice quite well!

"Nami"  
With his eyes now being able to see more detailed in the nearly unlit corridor, he could unmistakable make out her form,  
now sitting bolt upright right in front of him. He noticed her tight grip around a sword and hoped she had realized by now that he wasn't the marine she had thought he was.

"Sanji!! God bless, you're here"  
A broad smile appeared on his lips as he watched her jump up from the floor, throwing the sword carelessly behind her.

Her hands extended towards him, she ran right into his chest, her arms engulfing him in a tight hug.  
Nami held onto him for dear life, burying her face in his black suit. She could feel his arms slowly encircling her back and didn't have to wait too long until he squeezed her tightly against his body.

"You're alright, my Nami." He mumbled under his breath, relief flooding his mind and the tightening feeling in his stomach nearly vanishing.  
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!! I havn't meant for that to happen"  
"It's ok... we should better get going. Luffy needs some help with that Smoker guy." He told her calmly, not really willing to let go of her just now. He had to be 100 percent sure that she was really here in his arms.

But she had other things in mind.  
Her hold on his jacket loosened and she finally let go of him, looking up at him.  
"We have to leave! There's a storm building up!!"

----------

'No, dammit!! This was 'not' Kuina! This girl was just some normal stupid military brat looking like her! There was no damn reason why he should hold back... She was the enemy!!'

... The Kuina-look-alike attacked again.  
Grimacing, Zoro dodged her sword with one of his own, the sound of metal against metal echoing through the noisy air.

They had been fighting for only about five minutes, but the man had never really made his promise come true and had taught her a lesson. Lieutenant Tashgi would attack and he would dodge. He would try and disarm her and she would yell at him to stop behaving differently just because she was a woman, an action that always resulted in a furious glare from the man with the bandana.

"Dammit!! I'm just as much of a swords fighter as you are, so stop making fun of me! Fiiiight!!" The young woman yelled angrily, her sword crashing down at Zoro again. He merely jumped out of its way and stood back for a long second, trying to get his temper back under control.

This brat was just freaking him out!  
"Stop that shit!! You damn imposter!"

Eyes wide, Tashgi exhaled sharply.  
Never had anybody called her an imposter before! She and pretending to be a real swords fighter? She would give him 'imposter'!

Little did she know about what Zoro exactly had meant with 'imposter.  
"Why does she have to be like her!?" He mumbled under his breath, staring blankly at the deck and his dirty boots.

The sound of boots running towards him, brought him out of his internal musings. With a set jaw, Zoro watched Tashgi close up on him and he dicided not to give her an opening and also ran towards her, their swords glinting in the little sunlight that could still penetrate the thick cloud cover.

"Argh"  
Bewildered, Zoro stared in disbelief at the Lieutenant, whose foot had caught in a loose blank of the deck and who was now falling head first onto the floor in slow-motion. She almsot immediately lost her grip on the sword, the weapon flying through the air and landing with a clonk on the deck some meter away from where she was by now lying on her belly.

It was then, that Zoro noticed her hands flying across the planks, apparently searching for something. But the green-haired man was quite sure that her concern wasn't directed on finding her sword...

Crack

Stopping dead, Zoro and Tashgi stared at where his boot was just stepping off something.  
"My glasses!!"

'Not again' Zoro thought, panicking slightly when he noticed her terrifying glare with which she almost seemed to try to burn a hole into his foot.  
He knew then that there was no sense in fighting against her anymore.

She had lost her glasses (which had made her just more angrier) and couldn't fight without them properly... it wouldn't be fair on her he decided and sheathed his swords carefully...

Frowning, Tashgi looked up from the broken glasses on the deck, her eyes following the indistinct body of Roronoa Zoro, who was running into the opposite direction with such a speed that she soon lost sight of him.

----------

"We have to leave! A storm's building up"  
That was all Sanji needed from her.  
If Nami said the weather was changing then it was going to change. And by the looks of her set jaws and the seriousness in her eyes, it wouldn't be just some little rain cloud!

Taking hold of her smaller hand, the cook lead her outside onto the battle field, where Chopper had just knocked some marines out cold. The deer had mutated into his larger form, a small gash staining his right cheek slightly red.

"Chopper"  
"Naaaami!! You're alright!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, running straight towards her.  
Having reached the couple, he transformed back into his smaller self and hugged Nami's legs tightly, rubbing his cheek against them.

"Where are the others? We have to leave now"  
"Zoro is at the stern of the ship and Luffy is over there." He pointed towards his left.

Eyes wide, Sanji watched in amazement Luffy's body being entirely surrounded by grey smoke, his legs dangling ten feet above the deck. He was yelling angrily down at the other man, whose hands and arms were nothing more but indistinct smoke.

----------

"Aaaargh!! Lemme go!!!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs, arms and legs punching and kicking out in all directions, but hitting nothing but thin air and smoke.

Captain Smoker had him trapped in a tight cloud of fume, making it impossible for the boy to escape his grasp with his Gum Gum Powers! Smoker finally had him, finally had his revenge and had his revenge for his hurt pride.

"Not a chance in hell, rubber-clown. You wander in chail, along with the rest of your stupid cew!" He chuckled, slowly bringing Luffy down onto the deck, but never loosening his hold on him. Smoker didn't want him to escape this time... not now, that he had him right where he wanted him to be!

"Sorry to interrupt, but our navigator says we have to go"  
Frowning slightly, Smoker averted his eyes from the straw-hat and looked over his shoulder to find a raven-haired woman he knew quite well standing right behind him.

"Nico Robin! And here I was wondering where you've hidden after the mess in Aalabasta"  
"Not hiding... just taking a new direction to my destination."

Suddenly two hands grabbed Smokers boots and pulled.  
He hadn't been prepared for that and lost his balance, falling over. In order to prevent a painful landing, he transformed back into his normal self and braced himself against the wooden floor with his hands.

Unfortunately that also meant, that he had to let go of his prey, which bounced off the ground like some rubber ball.  
"Hihihi, thanx Robin!... You've seen Nami?"

"I'm here, Luffy! We've to get going"  
"Why"  
The answer came in form of a strong wind, which picked up fast in intensity.

"There's a storm building... we shouldn't stay any longer, or we'll probably lose the ship!" Nami yelled, the storm blowing hard into her face and swallowing the words, carrying them away.

Waves started to crash against the ships, shaking them violently from side to side.  
When Sanji looked up he could see the strong wind gathering in the sails of the marine ship, helping the raging sea to gain control of the ship.

Glaring angrily at the puddle of water, a large wave had left behind on the deck right in front of Smoker, the white-haired man got up from where he had still been sitting. Slowly he advanced towards the five friends, who were just about to head to the Going Merry, when the marine captain surrounded them with a grey smoke-ring.

"You're going nowhere, you wannebe-pirates!"

Suddenly strong wind blew across the deck and a large wave crashed over the railing, covering the ship in uncountable puddles of salty water. The wind was so hard, that Smoker couldn't maintain the ring of smoke any longer, the wind having disintegrated it with a loud wooshing sound. He was forced to transform back into his stabil self, being forced to watch helplessly as the five straw-hat pirates started running past him, not glancing back once.

He was losing them again.  
But it wouldn't be the last time he had seen them, he was sure of it.

Staring up into the dark, nearly black sky, a small rain drop fell onto his cheek, which was soon followed by a steady waterfall of pouring, hard rain. The wind had also picked up in strength and the sails seemed to be bursting any second now.

"Everybody to the sails! Reef 'em!! We're gonna sink!!" He ordered, gaining his men's attention at once.  
They obeyed without a word, reefing the sails before the wind had a chance of destroying them.

Spitting out his drenched cigarrs, Smoker stared after the laughing or yelling pirates, who had met up with Roronoa Zoro and were jumping over the railing onto thir little ship. The men didn't waste a second and took the large oars and started paddling away from the marine ship, bringing their 'sorry asses' into safety...

----------

Two days later...

"Dammit, Luffy.."

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Sanji sat up straight where he was lying under one tangerine tree. He stared for a rather long moment at the wide ocean, before his eyes settled on Chopper, Usopp and Luffy. The three men were rolling around on deck, chuckling and laughing about some of Usopp's newest inventions.

But it hadn't been the laughter of his friends that had awakened the cook from his sleep.

Looking down at his casted leg, he tried to remember where exactly he had left the crutch earlier that day, when he had decided to take a nap up there. Looking to his right he saw it lying near one of the green trees.

He took it and got up carefully, hobbling to the edge of the 'garden' and climbed down slowly and with much caution.  
Chopper would probably kill him if he overdid it again. The little deer had lost his patience with him and Sanji understood him quite well and wasn't going to play 'stubborn idiot' again... well, not today anyway.

When his boots touched the wooden planks of the bridge, he swiveled around on the spot and took the handle of the door leading inside the conference room.

Pulling it open, his trained nose immediately caught the scent of food.  
And he couldn't remember having made any!

Which was probbly also the reason why he had woken up in the first place!  
He had smelled the food and his subconscious had sounded the alarm, having probably assumed that one hungry captain was nicking meat from the fridge again.

Frowning Sanji walked inside, the door swinging shut behind him as he approached the person standing with her back facing him, her hands working busily on something in front of her on the hot plates of the herd.

"Nami"  
"Huh?"

Turning around, she regarded Sanji with a deep frown, staring at him and then at the large cooking spoon in her right hand.  
Some clear liquid was dripping down from it and onto the floor, forming a small puddle in front of her bare feet.

"Whatcha doin' here"  
Again, Nami merely stared at him, before a broad smile formed on her lips."Cooking for ya"  
Now it was Sanji's cue to frown, one curly brow furrowing as he tried to find out just what Nami was meaning with that!

"Don't you remember?" She asked him cheekily, a softer smile gracing her lips. "I promised you on that island, that I'd make you something to eat... for having caused so much trouble."

Sanji remembered quite vividly 'anything' that had happened on that island, but it wasn't the promise that had given him sleepless nights afterwards.  
"Uhh... yeah, right." An uncomfortable silence broke out between the couple and the two friends watched silently the clear liquid still dripping down onto the floor. Nami was staring at her bare toes, silently cursing herself for having kissed him for the umpteenth time.

Every time one of them would bring up anything related to that day, one or both would stop talking immediately and the two friends would refuse to look at each other for a couple of minutes... or longer, if not one of their crew-members would interrupt them frequently.

It was then that Nami made up her mind.  
She wasn't going to allow such a thing to stand between her and him.

Gripping the cooking spoon more tightly, she advanced towards him, stopping just inches away from his rigid body.  
Sanji was waiting anxiously for Nami to move... he wasn't sure what she was going to do and therefor wasn't intending to scare her away with whatever stupid action he could come up with.

"Sorry... for everything I've done... But, I did it because I knew it was right and I wouldn't want to change that moment even if I could"  
With that she leant forward slightly, kissing his left cheek softly.

Closing his eyes Sanji smiled into the darkness, savouring the feeling of her lips on his cheek. He stored the memory along with the feeling of their first shared kiss, promising himself that it wouldn't be the last one in their lives.

When he opened his eyes again he looked straight into the most beautiful face he had ever seen.  
"And what did you make?"

Nami's grin transformed from an almost sad smile into a bright, cheeky grin.  
"Told ya, I can't cook as well as you, so be prepared"  
She turned back around and took a large pot, carrying it carefully across the room to the already set table.

Grinning, Sanji immediately noticed the smell.  
"Chicken soup." He said with a hint of mischief.  
"And pencakes." Nami added with a wink.

Suddenly the door burst open, Luffy and Usopp entering the room in record time.  
"Food!! I smelled food!!" The rubber boy yelled happily, already sitting down and grabbing some of the still hot pencakes.  
Usopp was doing the same, being occupied with slurping the first spoon of soup.  
Sighing, Nami shook her head and walked over to the two men, hitting them simultaneously across their heads.

Sanji watched Nami heading to the door, probably in order to call th rest of the crew for supper, laughing about something Luffy had just said.  
'One day', he promised himself, hobbling over to his seat right beside 'his' Nami.

--------------------

Finis!!

Know this is a bit long, but I couldn't risk another part... would have probably needed another year to finish it!  
Hope ya liked it!! 


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